Animal shelters prepare for Gustov; assistance still needed in Covington

While some area animal shelters are reviewing plans to get their furry residents to safety in the event that Hurricane Gustav heads our way, the St. Tammany Humane Society is reaching out for assistance.

The group’s Covington facility is predisposed to flooding in even a heavy thunderstorm, so the threat of a hurricane presents a real threat of damage and danger. It does not have enough vehicles to transport the 92 dogs and 60 cats to safety, so they are seeking emergency foster homes to house the animals until next Wednesday, after the storm has passed.

“Mostly we want to find a warm, safe and dry environment for these animals,” said Humane Society Executive Director Vaughn Maurice. “If people have an evacuation plan in place and know where they’re going, and that place is animal-friendly, it would be great if they could take a couple of dogs or cats with them.”

The shelter stopped accepting animals Wednesday and is also seeking transportation assistance. At some point officials hope to get a recreational vehicle donated for just this purpose.

In Slidell, Damian Anti, supervisor of Slidell Animal Control services, said he is watching the storm closely to see when he might have to make the call to evacuate.

“If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll have to make a decision by daylight Sunday morning,” said Anti. “Once that cone of uncertainty narrows down a bit we’ll have a better idea.”

Anti said the decision will also depend on if the state enacts the contraflow plan. The shelter has an agreement with the Mississippi Animal Rescue League in Jackson, Miss., which will temporarily take charge of the 60 to 70 cats and dogs housed in Slidell.

The animals will travel to Jackson via a customized bus donated last year by the organization Noah’s Wish, and Anti’s staff will travel in their personal vehicles. Hotel reservations are already in place for the staffers, which will include two animal control officers as well as two kennel workers. Once they are settled in, the officers will return to Slidell.

In the event that Gustav does reach St. Tammany, and widespread devastation occurs such as what Hurricane Katrina delivered, the kennel workers will sign over the animals officially to the Jackson shelter and return to Slidell.

“At that point, we will start rescuing any animals that might be stranded,” Anti said.

At the parish level, the Department of Animal Services closed on Wednesday in preparation for the approaching storm.

“We are encouraging all St. Tammany Parish residents to begin making preparations for evacuating their pets,” said Melisa Sullivan-Piwetz, director of Animal Services. “We recommend that you have a pet carrier, portable kennel or crate for each pet and have written copies of vaccination records, necessary medication, veterinarian contact information and a recent picture of your pet.”

The parish also recommends two Web sites for locating pet friendly hotels in other areas, www.pets-allowed-hotels.com or www.petswelcome.com.

For more information, call the St. Tammany Humane Society at 892-7387, the Slidell Animal Control Shelter at 646-4267, or the St. Tammany Parish Department of Animal Services at 809-0183.